Anantnag, Apr 3: Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag has received a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine, bringing major relief to patients in south Kashmir and parts of the Chenab Valley.
The facility was inaugurated on Friday by Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo and is expected to become operational soon.
“Our government, led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, is committed to improving health care in Jammu and Kashmir,” Itoo said. “In the past 18 months, we have ensured that Mirza Memorial Beg hospital (MAMB) – GMC Anantnag gets key facilities, including a Cath lab, patient meals and a Sarai.”
She described the MRI facility as a major milestone and a long-pending addition that will significantly improve diagnostic services at the hospital.
“The facility will benefit patients across South Kashmir by providing timely and advanced diagnostic services locally, reducing the need for referrals to Srinagar hospitals,” she said.
Itoo also dedicated three modular operation theatres and a vitrectomy machine for the ophthalmology department.
The event was attended by several legislators, including Abdul Majeed Larmi, Peerzada Feroze Ahmad Shah, Justice Hasnain Masoodi, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Mir and Showkat Hussain Ganie.
Also, present were GMC Anantnag Principal Dr Rukhsana Najeeb, Director Health Services Kashmir Dr Jehangir Bakshi and other senior officials.
Najeeb congratulated residents of South Kashmir and the Chenab region on the addition of advanced medical facilities.
“I am thankful to the government for supporting GMC Anantnag at every step to meet the expectations of people in south Kashmir, the Chenab Valley and the Pir Panjal region,” she said.
Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. sanctioned the MRI machine under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative last April, and Greater Kashmir was the first to report it.
The approval followed a request from then Anantnag Deputy Commissioner (DC) Syed Fakhrudin Hamid to the company’s general manager. Power Grid later signed a memorandum of understanding with HLL Lifecare Ltd. for the supply and installation of the machine.
The project cost of the State-of-the-Art facility is Rs 19.70 crore.
Earlier correspondence indicated that GMC Anantnag had submitted Government e-Marketplace (GeM) quotations of about Rs 18 crore for a 1.5 Tesla MRI machine, considered a viable alternative if a 3.0 Tesla system proved too costly.
Patients in south Kashmir have long struggled due to the absence of MRI facilities in the region, often traveling to private diagnostic centres in Srinagar where scans cost between Rs 5,000 and Rs 8,000.
Facilities at GMC Srinagar, its associated hospitals and SKIMS Soura have remained difficult to access due to heavy patient load.
Established in 2019, GMC Anantnag serves hundreds of patients daily. Officials said several patients were referred weekly to tertiary care hospitals in Srinagar for MRI scans.
“These referrals not only overburden hospitals in Srinagar but also increase treatment costs for patients,” an official said.
With the MRI facility expected to be operational soon, patients are likely to benefit from improved access to diagnostic services, reducing both travel and financial strain.
